County · Missouri

Bates County, Missouri

Bates County, Missouri. Bates County had 16,512 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.9% since 2020, faster than Missouri (+1.9%). It holds 35 places (11 cities, villages and boroughs and 24 towns and townships) and 4 census tracts. GEOID 29013.

Bates County is one of the 14 counties of the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

16,512

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 16,042 · ACS 2020-2024: 16,186

Median household income

$60,733

±$4,639 (90% margin)
Missouri: $70,702

Median home value

$170,800

±$12,266 (90% margin)
Missouri: $230,300

Median gross rent

$786

±$73 (90% margin)
Missouri: $1,033

How many people live in Bates County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 16,042 residents in Bates County. The Census Bureau estimates 16,512 for July 1, 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, faster than Missouri (+1.9%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 16,186 over 837 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +42 (16,094)
2021→2022 +53 (16,147)
2022→2023 +112 (16,259)
2023→2024 +189 (16,448)
2024→2025 +64 (16,512)

Bates County in Missouri. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Bates County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	16,186	6,191,814	−110
Households	6,158±169	2,508,227	−389
Average household size	2.57±0.07	2.40	+0.13
Housing units	7,192±29	2,825,287	−645

Bates County's population since 2000

From 16,653 in 2000 to 16,512 in 2025: down 0.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 16,653
2005 (estimate) 17,117
2010 Census 17,049
2015 (estimate) 16,361
2020 Census 16,042
2025 (estimate) 16,512

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Bates County?

Bates County holds 35 places: 11 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 24 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Mount Pleasant Township with 5,093 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Bates County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Mount Pleasant Township	township	4,952	5,012±20	$43,429	$151,600	23.9%	100%
Butler	city	4,220	4,668±140	$42,151	$145,400	24.7%	100%
Deer Creek Township, Bates County	township	2,414	2,481±350	$72,262	$151,800	9.1%	100%
Adrian	city	1,730	1,857±273	$52,829	$159,500	13.8%	100%
Osage Township, Bates County	township	1,581	2,047±306	$51,625	$97,200	25.5%	100%
Rich Hill	city	1,232	1,453±286	$47,167	$75,600	33.7%	100%
Mound TownshipGEOID 2901350294	township	722	926±297	$57,404	$161,400	19.3%	100%
West Boone Township	township	694	736±187	$81,058	$219,800	11.3%	100%
East Boone TownshipGEOID 2901320800	township	553	505±309	$71,550	$164,800	3.8%	100%
Howard Township, Bates County	township	516	355±119	$62,500	$175,600	23.1%	100%
West Point TownshipGEOID 2901378946	township	439	335±86	$50,417	not published	8.1%	100%
Homer TownshipGEOID 2901332788	township	382	302±99	$67,933	not published	18.9%	100%
Walnut Township	township	323	294±95	$57,679	$190,600	25.2%	100%
Charlotte TownshipGEOID 2901313384	township	310	187±92	$71,250	not published	7.5%	100%
Elkhart TownshipGEOID 2901321664	township	307	354±182	$59,523	$355,900	2.0%	100%
Spruce TownshipGEOID 2901370198	township	303	372±140	$77,708	$244,600	2.7%	100%
Lone Oak TownshipGEOID 2901343796	township	303	90±52	$96,250	not published	0.0%	100%
Grand River Township, Bates CountyGEOID 2901328234	township	297	514±340	$83,750	$294,800	3.5%	100%
Shawnee Township, Bates CountyGEOID 2901367052	township	286	273±161	not published	$277,500	1.1%	100%
HumeGEOID 2933724	town	283	209±92	$58,750	$90,000	34.4%	100%
Deepwater Township, Bates CountyGEOID 2901318712	township	262	219±73	$65,625	$276,900	2.7%	100%
Summit TownshipGEOID 2901371530	township	255	190±124	$128,287	$235,000	0.0%	100%
Mingo TownshipGEOID 2901348746	township	224	162±63	$106,667	$345,000	6.2%	100%
AmsterdamGEOID 2901090	city	218	128±54	$45,536	$48,000	18.0%	100%
Rockville TownshipGEOID 2901362804	township	206	173±82	$42,857	not published	10.4%	100%
Pleasant Gap TownshipGEOID 2901358340	township	201	214±79	$82,188	$94,400	8.9%	100%
New Home TownshipGEOID 2901351950	township	186	151±94	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Hudson Township	township	180	234±89	$80,625	$338,500	8.1%	100%
Prairie Township, Bates CountyGEOID 2901359492	township	146	60±32	$65,313	not published	0.0%	100%
RockvilleGEOID 2962786	city	135	153±83	$35,625	not published	11.8%	100%
AmoretGEOID 2901072	city	133	120±52	$41,750	$65,000	23.3%	100%
Drexel	city	968	924±257	$54,519	$155,100	5.1%	14%
FosterGEOID 2925372	village	76	65±26	not published	$75,000	26.2%	100%
MerwinGEOID 2947540	village	69	33±36	$93,333	$189,600	0.0%	100%
PassaicGEOID 2956468	town	26	93±91	$92,656	$64,700	11.8%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Bates County?

The median resident of Bates County is 41.4 years old; 22.8% are under 18 and 19.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 91.7%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 2.9%. 1.1% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Bates County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	41.4±0.5	39.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	22.8%±0.4 pts	22.3%	–
65 years and over	19.3%±0.2 pts	17.9%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.6%	5.2%	+0.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	91.7%±0.6 pts	76.3%	−2.4 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	2.1%±0.5 pts	10.9%	+0.6 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.1 pts	2.1%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.2 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.9%±0.7 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	1.1%±0.5 pts	4.5%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.9%±1.3 pts	6.7%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.4%±1.5 pts	7.3%	–
With a disability	18.0%±2.2 pts	14.9%	–
No health insurance coverage	11.3%±1.7 pts	8.8%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	90.2%±1.6 pts	91.9%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	14.8%±2.1 pts	32.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.5%±1.2 pts	12.6%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.8%±0.8 pts	2.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Bates County earn?

Half of Bates County's 6,158 households earn less than $60,733 a year (±$4,639), against $70,702 in Missouri. In 2015-2019 it was $58,612 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 15.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bates County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$60,733±$4,639	$70,702	no clear change
Mean household income	$75,381±$4,207	$96,247	–
Per capita income	$29,340±$1,314	$39,695	−$4,670
People below the poverty line	15.9%±3.3 pts	12.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	21.0%±6.6 pts	15.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.2%±2.4 pts	9.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.0%±2.4 pts	89.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Bates County?

Owners occupy 74.9% of Bates County's occupied homes and renters 25.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $170,800 by its owner (±$12,266). The median renter pays $786 a month including utilities, and 41.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bates County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$170,800±$12,266	$230,300	+$29,762
Median gross rent	$786±$73	$1,033	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	41.0%±8.8 pts	36.6%	+12.0 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,304±$77	$1,524	–
Owner-occupied homes	74.9%±3.1 pts	68.1%	no clear change
Housing units	7,192±29	2,825,287	−645
Homeowner vacancy rate	3.4%±1.9 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	0.6%±0.9 pts	5.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	79.1%±2.6 pts	70.5%	–
Mobile homes	11.3%±1.7 pts	5.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.4%±0.4 pts	1.6%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	17.6%±2.5 pts	13.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Bates County building?

Builders took permits for 18 new housing units across Bates County in 2025 (14 single-family), 1.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 2 units
2020 2 units
2021 2 units
2022 3 units
2023 6 units
2024 9 units
2025 18 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Bates County get to work?

80.6% of Bates County's workers drive alone and 9.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 32.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Bates County	Missouri	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	58.4%±2.1 pts	63.1%	–
Unemployment rate	5.9%±1.8 pts	4.0%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	80.6%±2.9 pts	74.8%	–
Carpooled	6.8%±1.7 pts	8.1%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.3 pts	0.8%	–
Walked	1.6%±0.8 pts	1.8%	–
Worked from home	9.8%±2.2 pts	13.0%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	32.8 min±2.3	23.5 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Bates County's census tracts?

Bates County is divided into 4 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $42,037 (Tract 703) to $79,779 (Tract 701).

Census tracts of Bates County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 70129013070100	Adrian (21%)	4,985	5,155±310	$79,779	$226,700	$637	7.0%
Tract 70229013070200	Hume (7%)	4,055	3,683±360	$62,216	$203,400	$760	13.4%
Tract 70329013070300	Butler (91%)	4,470	4,711±127	$42,037	$144,100	$893	24.9%
Tract 70429013070400	Rich Hill (31%)	2,532	2,637±298	$60,000	$98,700	$853	21.7%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Bates County compare with Missouri's other counties?

Bates County's rank among Missouri's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	64th of 115
Growth 2020-2025	39th of 115
Residents per square mile	83rd of 115
Median household income	55th of 115
Median home value	50th of 115
Median gross rent	46th of 115
Poverty rate	43rd of 115
Bachelor's degree or higher	98th of 115
Median age	52nd of 115

Every county in Missouri

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Bates County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.